Insider Threat or Green-on-Blue a Big Problem in Afghanistan

Recent reporting indicates that Insider Threat or Green-on-Blue incidents are on the rise in Afghanistan.  This has many military leaders worried for a number of reasons. One is the possibility that coalition support for the fight in Afghanistan will diminish as Europeans and others step up the timetable for withdrawal. Another reason is that a lack of trust will overwhelm the advisory effort. As the coalition moves from "partnering" to "advising" coalition troops will need to spend more time one-on-one with their counterpart. This becomes problematic when there is a lack of trust between the two counterparts.  To read more on this issue see insider threat.

Afghan Border Police (ABP) Extend Presence into Southern Helmand Province

ABP Interacting with Children
(Photo: Cpl. Alfred Lopez, USMC)

Establishing a strong relationship with the local population is critical to any successful counterinsurgency operation.

Until recently Afghan National Security Forces have been unable to reach the people in the southern areas of Khan Neshin, Helmand province’s southernmost district.

Following Operation Highland Thunder, where Marines and sailors of 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and 3rd Bn., 3rd Marine Regiment, cleared previously unoccupied areas of Khan Neshin, Afghan Border Policemen have been able to engage with the population, ensuring their security and safety from insurgents operating in the area.

Afghan policemen with 2nd Tolai, 1st ABP Kandak, have partnered with Marines of Alpha Company, 1st LAR, to police and patrol through villages where ANSF presence was previously non-existent.

Read the rest of this story at the following link: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/86085/afghan-border-police-establish-presence-strengthen-security-khan-neshin#ixzz1qt216gN7.  Learn more about the Afghan Border Police or ABP.

Pukhtoon Jirga And Peace in Afghanistan

Some outside observers criticize the Jirga system in Afghanistan as an out-moded traditional system that is no longer valid in a modern nation-state. Unfortunately, Afghanistan is not a modern nation-state and will likely not be one for many years. It is more a weak nation in the midst of an insurgency (some think a civil war is not too far away). In addition, the judiciary and police forces are corrupt, inefficient, and ineffective in providing security, justice, and rule of law to most of the rural areas of Afghanistan. One writer believes that the international community needs to reinvigorate the traditional Jirga system at the community level in an effort to provide justice and peace in Afghanistan. Read more in "The Jirga in modern day Afghanistan", by Ali Gohar of Open Democracy, April 2, 2012.

Podcast - The Future of Pakistan and Afghanistan

The Brookings Institution recently held a discussion on March 22, 2012 about the future of the conflict in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Participants included Michael E. O'Hanlon, Ahmed Rashid, Stephen Cohen, and Bruce Riedel. The 1 1/2 hour long discussion can be listened to on the Internet (a podcast) at the link below. The event was entitled "Pakistan on the Edge: The Future of Pakistan and the U.S. Response".

Pakistan on the Edge: The Future of Pakistan and the U.S. Response

As the United States plans for its withdrawal from Afghanistan and reviews its policies toward Pakistan, President Obama must weigh the potential threats and challenges for U.S. interests in the region. Among the destabilizing factors in both countries is the ongoing presence and influence of the Taliban. Ahmed Rashid, prominent Pakistani journalist and author of the new book, Pakistan on the Brink: The Future of America, Pakistan, and Afghanistan (Viking Adult, 2012), examines these crucial issues as the president and other Western leaders grapple with how best to work with an often unreliable and unstable Pakistan.

To listen to the podcast click on the link box below:

Brookings Podcast - "Pakistan on the Edge"

Failure to Follow Vetting Procedures in Recruiting Afghans for Security Forces Contribute to Green on Blue Incidents

On paper the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have a robust vetting process to weed out criminals and insurgents intent on joining the security forces. However, this ANA recruit vetting process is not followed many times due to lack of training, inefficiency, poor work performance, and corruption. A lack of proper vetting means that the insider threat in Afghanistan could rise. Read more in "NATO admits to security failures in Afghan green on blue killings", New York Post, April 2, 2012.

Book - War, Will, and Warlords by Robert Cassidy

A new book about counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been published. It is entitled "War, Will, and Warlords: Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2001-2011". The author is Robert M. Cassidy.  Read a recent book review on it here.  It is available at Amazon.com here War, Will, and Warlords.

Insider Attacks: Not Always the Taliban

A common perception is that the numerous insider attacks (called Green-on-Blue incidents) are by Taliban infilitrators who are members of the Afghan security forces and also members of the Taliban (or under their influence). This is not always true. Read more in "Stress and gripes, not Taliban, drive Afghan insider attacks: NATO", Reuters, April 2, 2012.

Amnesty International Requests Investigation of New Zealands's Special Air Service (SAS)

Amnesty International is requesting an investigation into New Zealand's Special Air Service activities in Afghanistan. Read more in "Afghan mission needs investigating, Amnesty", Politics stuff.co.nz, April 2, 2012.

Female Engagement Team - One FET Members' Perspective

Female Engagement Teams or FETs have been in existence for a couple of years now. For the most part they appear to be successful - providing U.S. forces with the ability to connect with the 50% of the Afghan population that are unreachable by males - Afghan women. Read more in "Face of Defense: Soldier Focuses on Helping Afghan Women", American Forces Press Service, April 2, 2012.

SFAAT Mission in Afghanistan

A large number of a new type of advisory unit are being deployed to aid in the transition of coalition combat troops out of Afghanistan. The advisory teams are called Security Force Assistance Advisory and Assistance Teams or SFAATs. The concept was developed by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) staff and approved by COMISAF (General John Allen) last fall. The first teams were notified over the winter of 2011 for an upcoming deployment in the spring of 2012.

Most of the teams are being deployed as part of a new concept called Security Force Assistance Brigades or SFABs. These SFABs are understrength brigade combat teams (BCTs) with about half of their authorized manning. The SFAATs are formed into 9, 12, or 18 man teams depending on the type of Afghan unit they are advising.  All SFAATs are assigned interpreters who assist them in the advisory effort.  In addition, those units advising Afghan Uniform Police (AUP) or Afghan Border Police (ABP) are assigned Embedded Police Mentors (EPMs). The EPMs are provided by a DynCorps contract.

For more information on SFAATs visit the link below:

http://www.afghanwarnews.info/units/sfaat.htm

Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy Network (GREEN) Used by Marines in Helmand Province

The Marines are leading the way in the military in the use of solar power in Afghanistan. They are now using a new technology called Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy Network (GREEN) to power small operations centers in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Read the news release and watch a short video describing this technology in "Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy Network - G.R.E.E.N. Marines", Armed with Science DoD Live, March 31, 2012.

Reintegration and ALP: A Bad Combination?

Recent reports indicate that a Taliban fighter who recently passed through the Afghan government's reintegration program and subsequently was accepted into Afghan Local Police (ALP) killed nine other ALP members. The Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program or APRP tries to get Taliban fighters to quit fighting and return (or reintegrate) back to Afghan society. The APRP offers pay for the first three months and then subsequent vocational training. There are reports that some Taliban reintegrees have been assimilated into the Afghan Local Police or ALP. The ALP is associated with the Village Stability Operations program - sometimes referred to as VSO. The ALP is a part of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and is heavily supported and trained by the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command - Afghanistan or CFSOCC-A. Read more on the reintegrated Taliban fighter and ALP member who killed his fellow policemen in "Rogue Afghan police officer: A Taliban infiltrator's road to fratricide", The Washington Post, April 1, 2012. Unfortunately, the recruiting of former Taliban into the Afghan Local Police is going to result in an increased number of insider threat incidents.

Reintegration in Laghman Province

Laghman Province has reintegrated 223 former fighters, with more than 100 in the first half of March 2012 alone. The success, in part, can be attributed to the efforts of Gov. Mohammad Iqbal Azizi and the Provincial Peace Committee.

Read the rest of the article in "Afghan reintegration program works toward long-term peace and stability", RC-East.com, March 26, 2012. Read more reintegration news here.

Marine Reflects on His Afghan Tour of Duty

A Marine who spent the good part of a year working at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan reflects on the progress made in the transition to Afghan control. Read "Shaping Afghanistan's future rewarding for assistant chief of staff", DVIDS, March 31, 2012.

International Donors Find it Hard to Address Corruption in Afghanistan

Despite overwhelming evidence that a large amount of the money sent to Afghanistan for use in development and establishing governance is misused (corruption) international donors still have not instituted financial control measures so that they may "follow the money". The United Kingdom is no exception to putting the blinders on when addressing the actual end point of a great portion of its aid money (that would be Dubai). Read more in "Donors still can't talk about the c-word", International Development Department Blog of the University of Birmingham, March 23, 2012.

Slow Progress in Zabul Province

As members of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment prepare to redeploy to the states they are reflecting on their past year in Afghanistan and on the progress made in Zabul Province. See "At southern Afghan outpost, U.S. soldiers prepare for transition", The Kansas City Star, March 31, 2012.

New Zealand SAS Completes Afghan Tour

The New Zealand SAS has completed a two and one-half year tour of duty in Afghanistan. Read more in "SAS returning home from Afghanistan", New Zealand Herald, April 1, 2012.

Short-Term Thinking about a Long-Term War

Someone once said that Vietnam was a war fought one-year at a time for ten years. The same could be said of the Afghan war. Commanders (and Soldiers) deploy to Afghanistan for one year and then move out to their next assignment. Many do more than one tour in Afghanistan - which from an experience point of view is a good thing as Soldiers have a clue during those subsequent tours. During the time between those tours the Soldiers are not usually preparing for their next trip to Afghanistan. Most do a brain-dump and proceed on to mastering their next job - most likely very unrelated to Afghanistan or counterinsurgency. Unless of course they are a member of Special Forces or the very small AFPAK Hands program. Read more on this topic in an article by Joshua Foust entitled "How Short-Term Thinking Makes the U.S. Worse at Fighting Wars", The Atlantic, March 31, 2012.

Drones in Afghanistan

In the last ten years the inventory of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles has increased significantly.  Many of these drones are deployed to the Afghanistan area of operations and are used to conduct surveillance on targets, provide situational awareness during enemy engagements or targeting, and to help defeat the IED networks.  Learn more about drones in Afghanistan at the link below.

http://www.afghanwarnews.info/equipment/drones.htm

The Hard Life of Female Addicts in Afghanistan

Afghanistan, a country that supplies over 90 percent of the world's opium, also has an internal drug use problem. Although most drug users in Afghanistan are men there are also female addicts as well. An Afghan woman's access to medical care to combat her drug addiction is limited. Read more in "Insight: Lifting the veil on Afghanistan's female addicts", Reuters.com, March 31, 2012.

Karzai and Money Leaving Afghanistan

President Karzai recently made strong remarks on those Afghans (businessmen and others) who are sending their money overseas to Dubai and elsewhere. Most of this money is from the drug trade, skimmed off the top of development projects, or diverted from government ministries by corrupt government officials.  Of course, hearing this from Karzai is perplexing as he and his family have wrote the book on how to put your money away overseas for safekeeping for that "rainy day". Read one commentator's thoughts on Karzai and this topic in "Karzai's Misdirection", Registan, March 31, 2012.

USAID Projects Threatened by Use of APPF Guards

The Professional Services Council (PSC) warned Congress that a mandatory shift from private security contractors to the Afghan Public Protection Force or APPF will jeopardize USAID development projects in Afghanistan and put USAID personnel at risk. This warning took place during a Congressional hearing on the APPF. The PSC provided a written statement and oral testimony. See "New Security Paradigm in Afghanistan Could Jeopardize USAID Projects", Professional Services Council, March 29, 2012.

Commentary: Why We Won't Be Successful in Afghanistan

George H. Wittman writes a weekly column for the American Spectator Online. In this post he tells us why we have not been successful in defeating the Taliban and in our nation-building endeavor in Afghanistan. Part of his message is that the Afghan people cannot be divided into Pro and anti-Taliban. Their loyalties lie with their family, clan, and tribe. Read "Beginning of the End", The American Spectator, March 30, 2012.

Torture in Afghanistan

A writer from the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), Kate Clark, has posted a passage on torture in some of Afghanistan's detention centers. Read "The Trouble with Torture: NDS, Special Forces and the CIA", AAN, March 29, 2012.

Is the Afghan Transition "Good Enough"

A columnist for CNN's blog "Security Clearance", Tim Lister, provides us with his thoughts on where we are with the transition to Afghan forces. His analysis is that some things are going well while other things are not going well. Read his post in "Analysis: The Afghan balance sheet - a transition to good enough", CNN, March 30, 2012.

APPF Profits On USAID Projects Offend US Lawmakers

The increased costs for security associated with the use of the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) for USAID development projects has offended a number of US lawmakers. The lawmakers feel we are being held hostage by the Afghan government and that we should just say "NO" to paying for the increased cost of security and just cancel the USAID projects. Read more in "US lawmakers offended by spike in Afghan guards' costs", Reuters.com, March 29, 2012.

ALP Member Kills 9 Comrades from Afghan Local Police

A member of the Afghan Local Police (ALP) in Paktika province, Afghanistan killed nine members of his unit in their sleep. Read more in "Afghan police officer kills 9 comrades as they sleep", The Washington Post, March 30, 2012.

Afghan Night Raids Important to Overall Mission

President Karzai wants to reduce if not eliminate all night raids in Afghanistan. However, according to U.S. military officials, night raids are an important part of the overall effort in capturing or killing the Taliban. Read more in "U.S. Wants to Avoid Ban on Afghan Night Missions", U.S. News and World Report, March 29, 2012.

Funding the Afghan War

In a time of budget constraints the United States is asking its allies to cough up more money for the Afghan security forces after 2014. It is estimated that it will cost $4.1 billion to pay for the Afghan army and police. The U.S. is asking that foreign donors contribute at least $1.3 billion while the U.S. would pay for most of the remainder of the cost. Read more in "U.S. seeks more money for Afghan force", Stars and Stripes, March 29, 2012.

Mining Minerals in Afghanistan - Still on Hold

Afghanistan appears to be sitting on significant mineral deposits; however the current political and security situation prevents large international firms from getting to these minerals. Read more in "Dreams of a Mining Future on Hold in Afghanistan", NPR, March 29, 2012.

British Not Optimistic about Afghan Effort to End Corruption

The British Foreign Officer Minister, Alistair Burt, expressed doubts on the willingness of senior Afghan government officials to do anything about ridding the Afghan government of corruption. Read more in "British official expresses doubts about Afghan efforts to tackle corruption", The Washington Post, March 29, 2012.

Do Afghans Have PTSD? Does that Make Counterinsurgency Problematic?

A researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies is advancing the argument that populations of weak states are so psychologically traumatized by war and violence that they can not be helped by counterinsurgency campaigns and stability operations. Read more in "One Theory for Why Counterinsurgency Campaigns Might Be Hopeless", National Defense NDIA, March 16, 2012.

Afghan Local Police (ALP) an Important Part in Counterinsurgency Strategy

The Afghan Local Police or ALP are playing a quiet but huge role in the counterinsurgency fight in Afghanistan. The ALP is a part of the Village Stability Program or VSO that provides security, governance, and development to local communities and attempts to tie these villages to the district center throughout rural Afghanistan. Read more in "Afghan Local Police key to success against Taliban", The Washington Times, March 29, 2012.

Ghost Teachers of Ghor Province - Corruption in Afghan Education at Provincial and National Level

We all know that Afghan government officials are corrupt. But every once in a while a story comes along that just boggles the mind. Red "Afghanistan: The Ghost Teachers of Ghor", Ground Report, March 29, 2012.

Hezb-i-Islami Suspends Afghan Peace Talks

The Afghan insurgent group named Hezb-i-Islami has formally suspended its involvement in the Afghan peace talk process. This recent action underscores the fragility of the peace talks on the Afghan War. Hezb-i-Islami (or the Islamic Party) is headed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar - a once powerful warlord, mujaheddin from the Soviet occupation era, and former Afghan prime minister. Read more in "Second Afghan Insurgent Group Suspends Peace Talks", The New York Times, March 29, 2012.

Canada Issues Final Afghan Report

The Canadian government issued a final report on Canada's participation in the Afghan War. The report documents the successes and failures of the Canadian role in Afghanistan. Some of the successes include an increase in education, agriculture and medical access. Some projects that were not too successful included polio eradication and elimination of Afghan government corruption. Read more about the report in "Final Afghan report quietly released", Canada.com, March 29, 2012.

Progress in Afghanistan?

Among all the doom and gloom commentary about Afghanistan you can sometimes stumble across an online news article that says we are making headway in the Afghan War. The editorial at the following link says we are making progress in transitioning the lead for security in some areas of Afghanistan, seeing a reduction of poppy cultivation as a result of anti-drug operations, and making strides in setting up a functioning government. Read "Progress in Afghanistan", Voice of America, March 29, 2012. Of course, VOA is somewhat associated with the U.S. government, isn't it?

Texas National Guard Agribusiness Development Team to Deploy to Afghanistan

A small group of Soldiers from the Texas National Guard will soon deploy to Afghanistan as part of a Agribusiness Development Team (ADT). The team is headed to Ghazni province later this year. They will be working on agricultural projects that will benefit the Afghan people. Read more in "Agricultural development team trains for deployment", DVIDS, March 28, 2012.

Banking by Cell Phone Cuts Back on Corruption of Afghan Government Officials

Corruption is the biggest problem that people face in Afghanistan - and is looked at as more serious than violence or poverty. One aspect of life that is a force in eliminating corruption is the spread of cell phone use and mobile banking.

When police officers in Afghanistan's mountainous Wardak province began receiving their $200-per-month salaries via their mobile phones in 2009, many wondered why they had gotten a raise. They hadn't. It turns out their superiors had been skimming from their salaries, which were previously paid in cash.

Some government officials, police, and Army soldiers are now getting paid by cell phone - eliminating that boss or superior officer who took his percentage. The pay by mobile phone is meeting resistance by some government officials - most likely the ones who will lose the most when they find they are not getting their "fair share" skimmed off the top of the payroll. Read more in "Cashing Out of Corruption", Technology Review, March 19, 2012.

Afghan Local Police (ALP) Expands in Paktika Province

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Afghan Local Police recruits were recognized as a legitimate security force during a graduation ceremony in Yayha Khel district, March 24. The ceremony included 174 ALP graduates from western Paktika’s Zarghun Shahr and Yayha Khel districts. It was the largest ALP graduation in the area since the program started. ALP from nearby districts showed their support for their fellow Afghan National Security Forces by providing security for the event. District Sub Governor Mahmoud and District Chief of Police Naim Jahn attended the ceremony, and validated their continued support for the ALP program. Coalition special operations forces also attended the ceremony to show their commitment to Afghanistan’s security concerns at all levels. The new ALP graduates will provide increased security for Yayha Khel residents and allow the populace greater freedom of movement throughout western Paktika. “This was the largest ALP graduation since the program was started in the area,” said Lt. Col. William Linn, Special Operations Task Force-East Commander.” It was really great to see the local district governance show up and show their support for their sons, stepping up to protect their villages.”

Source of story. The text above came from "Afghan Local Police presence expands in eastern province", DVIDS, March 24, 2012. Learn more about the Afghan Local Police and read past news articles about the ALP.

Air Force Advisers Mentor Afghans on Keeping Kandahar Airfield Safe and Secure

A story on how 65 U.S. Air Force advisers are mentoring an Afghan security force of over 1,000 charged with keeping the Kandahar Airfield safe and secure. Read "Air Force advisers say Afghans making progress in base defense", Stars and Stripes, March 29, 2012.

I Had to Run Away - Human Rights Watch Report on Women in Afghanistan Accused of Moral Crimes

Human Rights Watch has released a report based on interviews conducted in prisons and juvenile detention facilities in Afghanistan with women and girls accused of "moral crimes". More than half the women in Afghan prisons are accused of these charges which usually involve flight from an unlawful marriage or domestic violence. Some are accused of sex outside of marriage after being raped or forced into prostitution. Things have improved for Afghan women overall since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 (in education, access to health care, and employment). However, there still is significant concern about the fate of women as the international community draws down its committment to Afghanistan - especially in the area of imprisonment for "moral crimes". You can read more about the March 2012 Human Rights Watch report on the imprisonment of women and girls for moral crimes in Afghanistan in I Had To Run Away. Read a news article about the report in "Afghan women are being jailed for moral crimes, says report", The Guardian, March 28, 2012.

Afghans Not Quite Ready to Secure Kandahar

A recent news article points out reasons why the Afghans may not be ready to secure Kandahar Province once the U.S. "surge" troops depart in by September 2012. Read "Wake-up call: Struggles in Kandahar show Afghan troops not ready to lead", Stars and Stripes, March 28, 2012.

New Force Protection Measures for U.S. Personnel in Afghanistan to Guard Against "Insider Threat"

General Allen issued a new ISAF directive that provides guidance on measures to take to ensure that ISAF personnel do not fall victim to attacks by personnel of the Afghan security forces. Read more in "New security for US troops in Afghanistan to guard against Afghan insider threats", Fox News.com, March 29, 2012.

Afghan Security Guards (APPF) To Cost More

According to a recent news report the switch of security functions from private security firms to the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) will increase security costs of development projects by 50% while reducing the level of protection. The news article cites the acting Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) - Steven J. Trent - for the source of information. Read more in "U.S. to pay more for Afghan security guards, auditor says", The Washington Post, March 28, 2012.

Two Experts Weigh In on Counterinsurgency Effort in Afghanistan

Jacki Lyden of National Public Radio recently interviewed two "experts" on counterinsurgency. Read their comments here in "Where Is Counterinsurgency In Afghanistan Now?", NPR, March 17, 2012. John Nagl is teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy and is the author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam.  Sarah Sewall is an expert on civilian-military relations, is a visiting fellow at the Naval War College, and a contributor to the The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual

Afghanistan-Iran-Tajikistan Railway Link

The governments of Afghanistan, Iran, and Tajikistan have reached an understanding on the building of a railway that would connect Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. Read more in "Tajikistan plans railway link with Iran", The Telegraph, March 27, 2012. Learn more about railroad development in Afghanistan.

Green-on-Blue Violence in Afghanistan

The occurrences of green-on-blue violence in Afghanistan has captured the attention of the media, public and Congress (and that of U.S. service members). General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently had comments on green-on-blue violence. He indicated that the Afghans will need to do more to prevent these events. Some measures to take place in the future is a stronger more capable counterintelligence effort, better vetting of recruits, and more partnering efforts at lower echelons or at the small unit level. Read his comments in "Dempsey: Afghans Must Prevent 'Green-on-Blue' Violence", American Forces Press Service, March 27, 2012.

Brookings Institution and General Allen Comments

General Allen, the commander of ISAF, recently spent some time with the Brookings Institution during his recent visit to Washington, DC. (He was addressing Congress for a couple of days on the state of the Afghan War). Some important comments that General Allen made during the Brookings Institution event include:

By September 2012 the U.S. troop level will return to pre-surge levels or around 68,000 personnel.

The main counterinsurgency effort will shift from the southern provinces to the eastern provinces.

The main threat in the east appears to be the Haqqani Network.

The 2012 Afghan-ISAF campaign for Regional Command East (RC East) will increase Afghan troop strength in provinces along the border, bolster the Afghan Local Police or ALP, Village Stability Operations (VSO) and special operations in the region. There will also be a greater density of U.S. forces partnering with their Afghan counterparts.

BG McMaster From CJITF Shafafiyat to Fort Benning

Brig. Gen. Herbert R. McMaster Jr is being re-assigned to be the commanding general, U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Fort Benning, Ga. He most recently served as the Commander for the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force - Shafafiyat, International Security Assistance Force, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan. Being head of Shafafiyat had to have been one of the most frustrating jobs ever in his career. Really? How do you fight corruption in Afghanistan when the country is headed by one of the most corrupt individuals in the country? Yes, that would be Karzai.